Which Rooms are Requested Most at Deluxe Resorts?

It’s hard to find the perfect room. You know you want to minimize walking. That your kids want to be close to the pool. A great view would be great. But not too much noise. And if all you do is purchase a particular room type and cross your fingers, you’re really gambling. That’s why the savvy WDW travelers use the Room Request to increase their chances of staying somewhere that will help them enjoy their trip. TouringPlans users have sent over 140,000 room requests through the Room Finder.

We recently looked at the most frequently-requested rooms at each of the Value and Moderate resorts to see if there were any trends (spoiler alert: there were). In this post we’ll do the same for Deluxe resorts. Maybe if a bunch of other people found that a room met their needs, you can just benefit from their research!

Last updated April 4, 2023

Explain the Math!

If you’ve ever used the room request tool for a WDW trip, when you push the button to send the request, we record the room number that you used. I pull all of that data and aggregate it (add it up) by resort or individual room. Then I can pull the room with the highest number of requests for each resort. I can do it for all time, or for a specific window of time. In this case, I’ll look all-time and at the past 2 years – that way we’ll be able to see if there are any recent trends or changes that might be due to renovations or additions.

I’m also going to use two other pieces of data while we look through these:

1. The average satisfaction rating for each room based on post-visit surveys
2. The average length of stay requested for each room

Most-Requested Rooms at Deluxe Resorts

Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House – 9,714 total room requests

Jambo has a very large number of requested compared to its nuber of rooms, and that’s probably because Jambo has quite a few “secret savanna” views that are categorized as standard views, and those in the know make sure to request them. The DVC rooms have their own category, but the non-DVC room with the most requests at Jambo is room 3230, with 227 total requests. 3230 is one of those sneaky savanna views priced as a standard. It’s on the third floor of the Kudu trail, but pretty much any room on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th floors in the x210 – x230 range (even numbers) will get you something similar. You’ll also be close to the lobby and transportation (and Boma …). We have 3 reviews from this room, and they’re all “Very Satisfied”. The average length of stay requested for this room is 6.4 nights. So if we all cooperated and booked it consecutively, we could book this room solid for over 4 years!

In the past two years, the most-requested room has been 3112, with 43 requests. Room 3112 is also a “standard” room, right next door to a “savanna” room and with a similar view. It’s out in the Ostrich Trail, on its ground floor.

Polynesian Village – 7,633 total room requests

Room 3610 is the most popular place to request at the Polynesian. It has 313 room requests all-time, and is also the most-requested room of the past 2 years. This is a pool/marina view corner room on the third floor of the Samoa building. You’ve got easy access to the pool down some stairs (or an elevator) and very quick boat and beach access, as well as being steps away from the Great Ceremonial House. Since you are in the middle of all of the activity, that will lead to some increase in noise. And the pool view comes with an increased price. We have 4 ratings from users that have stayed in room 3610, and they are all “Very Satisfied.” The average length of stay requested for this room is 5.4 nights, so we could book up this room with just TouringPlans users for over four and a half years.

Yacht Club – 5,424 total room requests

Unlike its neighboring resort that we’ll talk about next, the most-requested room at Yacht Club isn’t a standard view. But it is a room where your view will get you more than what you pay for. Room 4153 is categorized as a Garden View, and it has 278 total room requests (it’s also the most-requested room in the past 2 years). Even though it’s not technically a water view, you can barely spy the pool through the trees, and you’ll have a glimpse of Crescent Lake. 4153 has quick access to the boat dock, if that’s you’re preferred mode of transportation. But it’s a little bit of a longer walk to the lobby and bus transportation. We don’t have any post-visit reviews of this room, so no word on if it’s actually satisfying once people stay there. The average length of stay requested for this room is 5 nights. So if we booked the room for just TouringPlans users, we could keep it busy for almost 4 years.

Beach Club – 5,410 total room requests

Beach Club is a perfect example of where standard views equal ugly views. Generally speaking, you’ll probably be looking at the top of a roof. Or maybe a parking lot. So it’s no surprise to me that room 3681, a “standard” view that actually gives a peak at Stormalong Bay (but also a roof), is the most-requested room here. It has 541 total room requests, and the next-highest request-getter isn’t even close. It’s also the most-requested when we filter down to just the past 2 years. 3681 is also very convenient to the lobby (in addition to the pool). But access to transportation at Beach Club in general is rough. It’s a little bit of a hike to the busses, and the boat launch isn’t particularly close. But at least you’ve got quick walking access to EPCOT. We have 4 ratings for this room, and they average 4.5. The average length of stay requested for this room is 5.3 nights. That means with just TouringPlans requests, we could book up this room for almost eight years!

Contemporary Resort – 4,658 total room requests

The most-requested room at the Contemporary has the most positive ratings of any room that we’ll be discussing in this series of articles. Room 6123 has 382 total requests (the next-closest only has 206), and it’s also the most-requested room from the past 2 years. 6123 is a corner room on the first floor of the South Garden Wing. Because of its location, you can see the fireworks in between the main tower and Bay Lake Tower at night, as well as the Electrical Water Pageant from the room. It’s a few steps away from the beach and the pool, and just 2 minutes from the dining options in the main building. Several user comments about the room mention a 10-minute walk to the Magic Kingdom. A Garden View is typically about a $40/night upgrade over a Standard room, but it’s still a relative value compared to Lake or Theme Park Views. We have 6 different ratings from just this one room, and they are all “Very Satisfied”. The average length of stay requested for room 6123 is 4.6 nights. That means just TouringPlans users could book up this room for almost five years.

Grand Floridian – 4,377 total room requests

Room requests are more spread out at the Grand Floridian than most other resorts. The room with the most all-time requests (and most requests in the past two years) is 7414, with 128 requests. It’s in the middle of the 4th floor of the Conch Key building. It has a quiet garden view with incredibly quick access to the boat dock, and still isn’t very far from the main building or transportation. Our previous most-requested room was 7413, and it had an expensive lagoon view. 7414 is generally about $100 a night less than the room across the hall. We have 4 user ratings from room 7414, and they are all “Very Satisfied”. The average length of stay requested for this room is 4.9 nights. But since there are only 128 requests, TouringPlans users could only book out this room just under 2 years.

Wilderness Lodge – 3,624 total room requests

Room 6046 at Wilderness Lodge has 124 total requests. And if you look at the view, there aren’t any questions as to why. It’s the perfect picture of Cinderella Castle right from your window. But you’ll be paying a lot for that view – 6046 is in the highest price category of all rooms at Wilderness Lodge. You will have a quick trip to the lobby and the pool, but transportation is more of a hike. We have 2 reviews from room 6046, and both are “Very Satisfied”. The average length of stay requested for this room is 5.1 nights. So we could book 6046 for just TouringPlans users for almost 2 years.

If you’re looking for a similar view at a much cheaper price, check out something like room 4046. It’s 2 floors lower and closer to some parking and storage, but still seems to offer peeks at the Castle and fireworks. It doesn’t have any requests from the Room Finder, but averages $245/night cheaper than 6046. We have three reviews from 4046, and they’re all “Very Satisfied”.

BoardWalk Inn – 2,686 total room requests

BoardWalk Inn is the deluxe resort with the fewest total room requests. But the most-requested room here, both all-time and for the past 2 years, is definitely a winner. Room 5273 is categorized as a standard view on the 5th floor. That means you’ve got a lot of stairs or elevator waits between you and the lobby, pool, or transportation. But it also means that you get a pretty spectacular view while saving yourself a lot of money on the room type. We don’t have any ratings for this room from post-visit surveys, but there is one public comment about it if you navigate to it on the Room Finder. The average length of stay requested for this room is 4.8 nights. That means with just TouringPlans requests, we could book this room for almost three years.

What Does This Mean For You?

1. Unlike at values and moderates, view seems to hold much more weight at deluxe resorts, compared to convenience/location at the more expansive value and moderate resorts.
2. One trend holds true here – rooms that are popular tend to get you more than what the category you’re paying for promises. Secret savannas, peeks at Crescent Lake – it’s not a bad idea to look at photos on the Room Finder to learn from reviewers who have found these locations before.
3. If a particular room on the Room Finder looks great, but you can’t afford the upgrade, take your time clicking over a few rooms, or up/down a floor or two. You might something very similar for a much lower price.

Have you requested or stayed in any of the rooms in this post? Do you have other suggestions for great places to stay at a deluxe resort? Let us know in the comments!