If you’re looking to stay on site at Disney World, a room in the Value Resort tier will usually be your cheapest option. There are five resorts in this budget-friendly category, so which Disney World Value Resort is the best? Never fear, TouringPlans is here! We’ve got an overview by an expert eye, plus ratings from guests in post-visit surveys. We’ll run down how they rank, and look beyond the numbers to find which one is best for you.

• Theming at Disney World Value Resorts
• Disney World Value Resort Layout
• Rooms at Disney World Value Resorts
• Dining, Recreation, and Transportation at Disney World Value Resorts
• Prices for Disney World Value Resorts
• The Perks of Staying on Site
• Summary – which Disney Value Resort is the best?

The five Value Resorts at Disney World are Pop Century, Art of Animation, All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Movies. The three All-Star resorts are very similar; we’ll often refer to them as “the All-Stars” for ease of reading. Tap into any gallery in this article to expand images for a closer look, or use the bulleted links above to go directly to a section that interests you.

Value Resort Theming

Around the grounds, all the Value Resorts feature larger-than-life, in-your-face theming. There are multi-story figures, large statues, and giant icons that match the resort theme. If you were brought to the resort blindfolded, you would easily guess which one you were at on opening your eyes. Art of Animation kicks it up a notch, with detailed paintwork and more cohesive design.

Although it isn’t subtle, the exterior theming at Disney’s Value Resorts is fun. And you’ll definitely get the feeling that you’re not in Kansas anymore.

Inside the rooms, themed touches at the All-Stars and Pop Century say Disney World, but it’s kind of generic. Art of Animation is the only resort with extensive theming inside the rooms, and again, it’s not subtle. If you’re in a Lion King Family Suite, you won’t mistake it for the Finding Nemo version.

Our post-visit surveys ask guests how they feel about the resort theme. Art of Animation is a clear standout; 90% of guests rate it 4 stars or better.

At each resort, rooms closer to the main hall and main pool have ‘preferred’ pricing. But it’s at most a 5-minute walk from the lobby hub to the farthest buildings. At a high level, the All-Stars are a large complex, and it’s not hard to walk between them. And so are Pop Century and Art of Animation; the two resorts are on either side of Hourglass Lake, connected by a 10-minute walk across the Generation Gap Bridge.

Room Size, Setup, and More

Standard rooms at all Value Resorts sleep four adults, plus an infant in a crib. All-Star Music and Art of Animation also have Family Suites that can hold up to six adults, plus an infant in a crib.

Disney’s Value Resorts offer housekeeping every other day, and about 90% of guests give a ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ rating for room cleanliness. About 85% of guests give a 4- or 5-star rating to the comfort of their sleeping surface, except at Art of Animation, where it’s about 75%.

Pop Century averages about 3.8 stars for room quietness, with other Value Resorts around 4 stars. The All-Stars, and especially All-Star Sports, often host youth groups who are visiting Disney World for competitions, and your thoughts on how noisy these resorts are can really depend on who is staying there at the same time you are. Looking for some peace and quiet? The TouringPlans Room Finder can help you find the quietest rooms at any of these resorts.

Rooms for Four

The basic room at the All-Stars and Pop Century is 260 square feet. Inside the rooms, the floor plan is identical, and the decor is similar too. The images below are from a Pop Century Room, but they show what you’ll find at All-Star Sports, Movies, and Music. Pop Century rooms are currently being refurbished; the new decor has colored walls and a patterned accent under the table bed. These updates might not be more ‘themed’, but they are a bit less bland.

In these rooms, the second queen bed folds up into a table, great for couples who want a little extra space. Even for families, it’s very easy to put the bed up and down daily, more so than a standard sofabed. The bathroom area has a toilet and tub separated from the sink and closet storage, with both closed off from the main room by a barn door.

At Art of Animation, there’s much more theming in the 277-square-foot Little Mermaid rooms. But the convenience of the table-bed is missing, and the bathroom is only separated by a curtain.

You might expect surveys to show that guests are more satisfied with the extra space in the Little Mermaid rooms – but they don’t. The super-functional layout of rooms at the other Value Resorts seems to put them on an even playing field. Still, nobody feels that these rooms are spacious; only about 60% of respondents report good satisfaction with the size of Value Resort rooms.

Value Resort Rooms for Larger Families

Both All-Star Music and Art of Animation have Family Suites that can sleep larger groups. These rooms have separate sleeping areas for adults and kids, a second bathroom, and basic kitchen facilities (fridge, microwave) in the room. And the extra space is well-appreciated! Over 90% of guests in these suites give a ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ rating for room size.

Family Suites at both resorts use convertible furniture to deliver the extra beds. At the All-Star Music suites, the second room has a table and sofa that both convert to queen beds. For Art of Animation’s suites, there’s a separate dining area with a table-bed and a sofa bed in the living room area.

⚠ Depending on your needs, a different room might fit your budget better. Two connecting rooms at a Value Resort are almost always cheaper than the same resort’s Family Suite. And a fifth-sleeper room at a Moderate resort will be less expensive than two connecting rooms at a Value resort.

Dining, Recreation, and Transportation

Each Value Resort has a Food Court and a pool bar. The menus are pretty similar: pizza, salads, cafeteria-style entrees, etc. Each has a unique burger offering, but you’re not going to find variety by walking to the resort next door. There are no Table Service restaurants at any of the Disney World Value Resorts. Pop Century’s food court gets slightly lower ratings than the other Value resorts. But we think this reflects the in-progress refurbishment of its food court during 2024, when most of these surveys were collected.

Each Value resort has two or three pools; theming is bold and minimalist. For instance, the Pop Century Bowling Pool is shaped like a bowling pin, and that’s about it. As you may expect by now, Art of Animation has a bit higher standard for the pool theming.

There are no hot tubs at the Value Resort pools. There are also no water slides at Value Resort pools, they are only found at Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. All the resorts have showers near the main pool, and free lifejackets for adults and kids.

Less than 10% of Value Resort guests say that pools aren’t important when choosing where to stay, so let’s break out some numbers. Across the All-Stars and Pop Century, about 60% of guests give 4 stars or above, with an average rating of around 3.8 stars. Art of Animation scores noticeably higher, about 4.2 stars.

Each resort has an arcade and a small playground. They offer ‘Disney Movies Under the Stars’ (weather permitting). There are no fitness centers, but the All-Stars and the Hourglass Lake resorts each have a jogging trail that measures about a mile.

The two Skyliner Resorts, Art of Animation and Pop Century, have small business centers where you can print boarding passes. And you’ll find self-service laundry rooms near the pools at each Value Resort.

At the All-Stars, buses are the only Disney transportation. Pop Century and Art of Animation have Skyliner stations that connect to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Parking is around the edges of the resort for those who bring cars, with many buildings close to the parking lots.

Disney World Value Resort Pricing

Prices vary with the season, and weekend prices are higher than weeknights. At the All-Stars, the typical price for a basic room ranges from $165 to $235 per night. Add $50 to that nightly rate to move up to Pop Century, and another $50 again to move up to a Little Mermaid Room at Art of Animation.

For the larger rooms, the All-Star Music Family Suites typically go for $380 to $555 per night. At Art of Animation, the usual price for an AoA Family Suite ranges from $535 to $735 per night. When available, discounts for the general public are usually about 10-20%.

On-Site Perks

An on-site stay at Disney World comes with some benefits. All in all, they may add up to justify the cost over a non-Disney hotel. But of course, any hotel perk only has value if you will actually use it.

• Access to Early Entry; enter the theme parks half an hour before regular opening, every day at each park
• Early access to Lightning Lane reservations
• Early access to booking dining and tours
• Free parking at the resorts and theme parks
• Disney transportation from your hotel to the theme parks, including Minnie Vans
• Access to Disney Dining Plans
• A free water park visit on your arrival day
• Convenience features such as charging purchases to your room

TL;DR

⭐Disney World’s Value Resorts are the most affordable hotels with the perks of an on-site stay. In 2025, the standard room at an All-Star resort will mostly range from $165 to $235 per night. Discounts may bring the price down. The trade-off for that budget-friendly pricing is smaller rooms, less sophisticated theming, no water slides or hot tubs at the pools, and no Table Service restaurants.

⭐All the resorts have a central hall for amenities, such as check-in, the bus stop, and the food court. There’s a slight bump in prices for rooms close to the main hall, but we’re talking a 2-3 minute walk instead of 5-6 minutes.

⭐Value Resorts mostly have rooms that open to exterior walkways. Exterior theming is delivered through decoration and set pieces, not landscaping and architecture. And except at Art of Animation, Disney theming inside the room is minimal.

⭐None of the regular rooms at these resorts will be winning any awards for the most spacious room. But for adult couples, the table-bed at the All-Stars and Pop Century can make the room feel more spacious and functional than a Moderate room that has more square footage. And those who will spend most of their time at the parks may not care as much about space.

⭐Pop Century has a single huge advantage over the All-Stars: Skyliner access. You’ll pay about $50 more per night for it, but many feel that’s worth it.

⭐Art of Animation is the most expensive of the Value Resorts. Its Little Mermaid rooms are, again, about a $50 nightly step up from Pop Century. You’re paying for more immersive theming, especially inside the rooms and around the pools, and Skyliner access. Families with small kids may feel that the step up in ambiance is worth it.

⭐For larger families, the Family Suites at All-Star Music and Art of Animation have more space and separate sleeping areas for adults and kids. But these suites are more expensive than two single rooms at the same resort. Connecting rooms, or sleeps-five rooms at a Moderate Resort, may be cheaper choices if you don’t need the mini-kitchens.

Disney World Value Resort Ranking

Overall, satisfaction for every Disney World Value Resort falls between 4 and 4.5 stars. Pop Century and Art of Animation rank higher than most of the All-Star Resorts. For Pop Century, this is most likely due to Skyliner access. For Art of Animation, it is probably a combination of Skyliner access and theme.

So what about All-Star Sports, which has a higher score than the other two All-Stars? Well, All-Star Sports also scores markedly higher than the other Values for cost satisfaction. The All-Stars have almost identical rates, but competition guests on a group rate pay less, and we don’t ask respondents how much they paid for their rooms. (Maybe we should.) So I think the bump in satisfaction for All-Star Sports is likely because visitors paid less for them. Paying less always makes it easier to be satisfied with what you get!

One aspect that doesn’t appear in the rankings directly is that we have about 5 times as many surveys for Pop Century. When we ask whether guests would stay at their resort again, responses are similar. But the larger number of surveys is consistent with other results showing that Pop Century guests are the ones most likely to return there. Unless you need an exceptional theme, a rock-bottom price, or a multi-bedroom suite, Pop Century is the Value Resort most likely to deliver the value you’re looking for.

Have you stayed at Disney World’s Value Resorts? Which ones are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!