- Mar 13, 2024
- 8,666
- 36
Disney World’s Value Resorts are a little like ordering the cute little appetizer that turns out to be secretly filling. You look at it and think, “That’ll do for now,” and then suddenly it’s carrying the whole meal.
Disney’s Art of Animation
For a lot of people, Disney’s Value Resorts really are the smartest move on property. You still get those very important Disney Resort hotel perks like complimentary transportation and Early Theme Park Entry. You get a Disney bubble hotel, big theming, food on site, pools, and easy access to the parks without paying Deluxe prices that can make your wallet emit a tiny haunted whisper.
But here’s the thing: the “big problem” with Disney World’s Value Resorts is not that they’re bad. It’s that they’re often too good at being value resorts. They do exactly what they’re designed to do. They pack in a lot of guests, keep things efficient, strip away a lot of bells and whistles, and give you the basics with a heavy side of animated charm. That setup works beautifully for some travelers and feels like a fluorescent-lit endurance sport for others.
Pop Century Resort
So if you’re eyeing Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, Pop Century, or Art of Animation, let’s talk about what you’re really signing up for.
This is the first thing people need to understand before booking a Value Resort: these hotels are busy. Not “someone else is at the pool” busy. More like “why does it feel like an entire middle school field trip just materialized at the refill station” busy.
Pool at Pop Century
That isn’t a flaw in the design so much as the natural result of the category. Value Resorts are the most accessible Disney-owned hotels for a lot of families, groups, and first-timers, so they attract a ton of people. And it shows up everywhere: the food court at breakfast, the bus line before rope drop, the main pool in the afternoon, and the walkway outside your room at 6:47AM when someone’s rolling a suitcase like they’re late for an international summit.
This is especially true during competition weekends, school breaks, holiday travel periods, and other peak times, when Value Resorts often become home base for large groups. That does not automatically mean your trip is doomed. It just means you should go in expecting energy. Lots of it. Uninvited. Before coffee.
Crowds
The secret here is simple: if you love a lively resort with big visuals and a lot going on, this may not bother you at all. If your dream hotel vibe is “quiet, calm, and faintly smells like cucumber water,” Value might not be your soulmate.
The standard rooms are small, and no amount of optimism can stretch square footage. At Pop Century and the All-Stars, standard rooms are around 260 square feet, while Art of Animation’s Little Mermaid standard rooms are a bit bigger at about 277 square feet. Translation: these rooms are functional, but they are not spacious. They are “strategically place your suitcase so no one has to sideways-crab-walk to the bathroom” rooms.
Standard Room
Now, to Disney’s credit, some of these rooms use smart space-saving features. Many standard rooms at Pop Century and the All-Stars have a queen bed plus a queen-size table bed or fold-down bed setup, which helps the room do a little shape-shifting during the day. But let’s not get carried away. Clever furniture is helpful. Clever furniture is not wizardry.
If you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or as a parent with one child, these rooms can work just fine. If you’re traveling with four people, strollers, park bags, multiple pairs of wet shoes, souvenir popcorn buckets, and the emotional debris of a weeklong family vacation in Florida humidity? You are going to feel that room.
All that space under the bed!
This is one of the biggest reasons Value Resorts can feel amazing for some travelers and cramped for others. It’s less about whether the room is “good” and more about whether you need your hotel room to be a launchpad or a landing zone.
The dining situation is convenient, but not exactly a culinary revelation. One thing Disney’s Value Resorts do very well is give you easy food. One thing they do not always do is give you exciting food.
Each resort has its own main quick-service food court: End Zone Food Court at All-Star Sports, World Premiere Food Court at All-Star Movies, Intermission Food Court at All-Star Music, Everything POP Shopping & Dining at Pop Century, and Landscape of Flavors at Art of Animation. These resorts also have pool bars that offer some colorful cocktails and a couple of quick bites from a limited menu.
Visit Site
That means you’ll have food. You will not starve. There will be Mickey waffles, grab-and-go items, pizza, burgers, salads, desserts, and some rotating specialties. In fact, the menus at places like Landscape of Flavors and Everything POP do show a few more interesting entrees and rotating specials than the old “just nuggets and pizza” stereotype suggests. But still, these are food courts. They are meant to serve a lot of people, quickly, without requiring a reservation, a dress code, or an existential debate over the wine list. That’s useful. It is not luxurious.
End Zone Food Court
The real issue is less “the food is bad” and more “the dining options are limited.” If you’re staying at a Moderate or Deluxe, you may have lounges, table-service restaurants, or more built-in variety. At a Value, once you’ve eaten at your food court a couple times, you may start to feel like you’re in a committed relationship with a beverage cooler and a mobile order screen.
My best-friend advice? Use the food court strategically. Breakfast, refillable mug runs, late-night dessert, emergency fries, absolutely. But if dining is part of your vacation fun, don’t expect the resort itself to carry that part of the trip.
Disney transportation is one of the biggest reasons people stay on property in the first place. Disney says complimentary resort transportation runs to the parks, water parks, and Disney Springs, and that service generally begins 45 minutes before theme park opening and continues up to an hour after closing. That’s real value. It saves money, saves driving stress, and lets someone else handle the steering while you contemplate why your feet suddenly have opinions.
But Value Resorts can make you work for that perk a little.
Bus stop at All-Star Movies
The All-Stars rely on bus transportation. Pop Century and Art of Animation have the huge advantage of Disney Skyliner access for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, while buses still serve other destinations. That is a massive perk for Pop and Art of Animation, and one reason those two resorts tend to punch above their weight. Still, transportation at the Values can feel crowded because so many people are trying to move at the same time. That’s the real problem. Not that Disney transport exists. Not that it’s bad. Just that everyone else had the same bright idea you did.
Skyliner Station at Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts
Here’s the secret move: stop trying to travel with the herd. Leave earlier than you think you need to in the morning. Avoid the immediate post-fireworks stampede when you can. If you’re at Pop or Art of Animation, lean on the Skyliner hard for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, because it can be a game-changer. Just remember Disney occasionally closes the Skyliner for refurbishment, as shown on the official site, so it’s wise to check before your trip and not build your entire emotional support itinerary around gondolas.
Amenities are lighter, and that matters more than some people think. This is where the Value category becomes very honest. These resorts do have pools, arcades, recreation, and family-friendly activities. That’s good stuff, especially for families who want some built-in entertainment on non-park evenings.
The Big Blue Pool
But if you’re comparing them to Moderate or Deluxe resorts, the difference shows fast. You’re not booking the Value category for sprawling grounds, signature dining, fitness centers, spas, fancy lounges, or “let’s spend the whole afternoon at the resort and call that a vacation day” energy. And this is where people sometimes get tripped up. They think they are choosing the cheapest version of the same overall resort experience. They’re not. They’re choosing a different kind of trip.
Pixel Play Arcade
At a Value Resort, the room is often the charger, not the phone. You come back, plug in, sleep, shower, maybe inhale a brownie from the food court, and head back out. If that’s how you vacation anyway, fantastic. If your favorite part of a Disney hotel is lingering around the resort, exploring restaurants, lounging in fancy public spaces, or making the hotel feel like half the vacation, you may outgrow the Value category pretty quickly.
Honestly, this might be the biggest issue of all.
Disney’s Value Resorts are not trying to be the Grand Floridian. They are not trying to be Coronado Springs. They are not even trying to be “sort of deluxe-adjacent if you squint.” They are built to be bright, energetic, efficient, family-friendly home bases with solid Disney perks and lower upfront costs.
All Star Movies
When people book them expecting a full resort-luxury experience for a bargain, disappointment arrives wearing mouse ears and carrying a pool towel. But when people book them knowing exactly what they are getting, these hotels can be brilliant.
Pop Century is beloved for good reason. Art of Animation is a strong pick for families who want bold theming or need a suite option. Family Suites at Art of Animation and All-Star Music can sleep up to six, which can be a real solution for larger groups that don’t want two separate rooms. The All-Stars can be terrific for travelers who just want to stay in the Disney bubble, keep costs lower, and spend most of their time in the parks.
That’s the key. Book the resort that matches your vacation style, not the one that looks best in a vacuum.
If you do decide a Value Resort is right for you, there are a few sneaky-smart ways to make the experience better.
First, request a room location with intention. Being close to transportation and dining sounds great until you realize half the resort will be walking right past your front door several times a day. Sometimes “not too close, not too far” is the sweet spot.
Second, pack for the room you actually have, not the one you wish you had. Soft-sided luggage, packing cubes, fewer giant “just in case” items, and a white noise app can make a surprisingly big difference.
Third, use Mobile Order whenever possible. Mobile ordering at the food courts, and that can save you from some cafeteria-style chaos.
Mobile Order Pick-up in Everything Pop
Fourth, don’t ignore the recreation board. Movies Under the Stars, pools, arcades, and campfires are easy to overlook when you’re sprinting toward Lightning Lanes and snack quotas, but these are the kinds of low-stress extras that can make a Value stay feel more fun and less like a sleep pod with giant yo-yos outside.
The big problem with Disney World’s Value Resorts is not that they exist. It’s not even that they’re limited. It’s that they ask you to be honest about what kind of vacation you’re actually taking.
BEWARE! The line could be LONG!
If you want a clean, cheerful, heavily themed place to crash, shower, refill your mug, and get back to the parks, these resorts can be an absolute win. If you want quiet hallways, roomy accommodations, lots of dining variety, and a hotel experience that feels like part of the destination, the Value category may start to feel like wearing sequins to a kickball game. Technically possible. Spiritually confusing.
So no, the Value Resorts are not perfect. They are crowded, compact, simple, and sometimes a little chaotic. But for the right traveler, they are also practical, playful, and genuinely smart.
Just go in knowing that “value” doesn’t mean “mini Deluxe.” It means you’re paying for the Disney bubble, the perks, the theming, and a place to sleep, not a resort that plans to sweep you off your feet with a lobby chandelier and a spa menu.
And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly the move. Sometimes the best Disney hotel is the one that leaves enough room in your budget for another park day, an extra snack, and one more round of saying, “We should probably go back to the room,” before doing the exact opposite.
Have you ever stayed at one of Disney World’s Value Resorts? Let us know in the comments!
Disney’s Art of Animation
For a lot of people, Disney’s Value Resorts really are the smartest move on property. You still get those very important Disney Resort hotel perks like complimentary transportation and Early Theme Park Entry. You get a Disney bubble hotel, big theming, food on site, pools, and easy access to the parks without paying Deluxe prices that can make your wallet emit a tiny haunted whisper.
But here’s the thing: the “big problem” with Disney World’s Value Resorts is not that they’re bad. It’s that they’re often too good at being value resorts. They do exactly what they’re designed to do. They pack in a lot of guests, keep things efficient, strip away a lot of bells and whistles, and give you the basics with a heavy side of animated charm. That setup works beautifully for some travelers and feels like a fluorescent-lit endurance sport for others.
Pop Century Resort
So if you’re eyeing Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, Pop Century, or Art of Animation, let’s talk about what you’re really signing up for.
These Resorts Stay Busy
This is the first thing people need to understand before booking a Value Resort: these hotels are busy. Not “someone else is at the pool” busy. More like “why does it feel like an entire middle school field trip just materialized at the refill station” busy.
Pool at Pop Century
That isn’t a flaw in the design so much as the natural result of the category. Value Resorts are the most accessible Disney-owned hotels for a lot of families, groups, and first-timers, so they attract a ton of people. And it shows up everywhere: the food court at breakfast, the bus line before rope drop, the main pool in the afternoon, and the walkway outside your room at 6:47AM when someone’s rolling a suitcase like they’re late for an international summit.
This is especially true during competition weekends, school breaks, holiday travel periods, and other peak times, when Value Resorts often become home base for large groups. That does not automatically mean your trip is doomed. It just means you should go in expecting energy. Lots of it. Uninvited. Before coffee.
Crowds
The secret here is simple: if you love a lively resort with big visuals and a lot going on, this may not bother you at all. If your dream hotel vibe is “quiet, calm, and faintly smells like cucumber water,” Value might not be your soulmate.
The Rooms Are Tight
The standard rooms are small, and no amount of optimism can stretch square footage. At Pop Century and the All-Stars, standard rooms are around 260 square feet, while Art of Animation’s Little Mermaid standard rooms are a bit bigger at about 277 square feet. Translation: these rooms are functional, but they are not spacious. They are “strategically place your suitcase so no one has to sideways-crab-walk to the bathroom” rooms.
Standard Room
Now, to Disney’s credit, some of these rooms use smart space-saving features. Many standard rooms at Pop Century and the All-Stars have a queen bed plus a queen-size table bed or fold-down bed setup, which helps the room do a little shape-shifting during the day. But let’s not get carried away. Clever furniture is helpful. Clever furniture is not wizardry.
If you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or as a parent with one child, these rooms can work just fine. If you’re traveling with four people, strollers, park bags, multiple pairs of wet shoes, souvenir popcorn buckets, and the emotional debris of a weeklong family vacation in Florida humidity? You are going to feel that room.
All that space under the bed!
This is one of the biggest reasons Value Resorts can feel amazing for some travelers and cramped for others. It’s less about whether the room is “good” and more about whether you need your hotel room to be a launchpad or a landing zone.
Food Is Fine. That’s It.
The dining situation is convenient, but not exactly a culinary revelation. One thing Disney’s Value Resorts do very well is give you easy food. One thing they do not always do is give you exciting food.
Each resort has its own main quick-service food court: End Zone Food Court at All-Star Sports, World Premiere Food Court at All-Star Movies, Intermission Food Court at All-Star Music, Everything POP Shopping & Dining at Pop Century, and Landscape of Flavors at Art of Animation. These resorts also have pool bars that offer some colorful cocktails and a couple of quick bites from a limited menu.
Visit Site
That means you’ll have food. You will not starve. There will be Mickey waffles, grab-and-go items, pizza, burgers, salads, desserts, and some rotating specialties. In fact, the menus at places like Landscape of Flavors and Everything POP do show a few more interesting entrees and rotating specials than the old “just nuggets and pizza” stereotype suggests. But still, these are food courts. They are meant to serve a lot of people, quickly, without requiring a reservation, a dress code, or an existential debate over the wine list. That’s useful. It is not luxurious.
End Zone Food Court
The real issue is less “the food is bad” and more “the dining options are limited.” If you’re staying at a Moderate or Deluxe, you may have lounges, table-service restaurants, or more built-in variety. At a Value, once you’ve eaten at your food court a couple times, you may start to feel like you’re in a committed relationship with a beverage cooler and a mobile order screen.
My best-friend advice? Use the food court strategically. Breakfast, refillable mug runs, late-night dessert, emergency fries, absolutely. But if dining is part of your vacation fun, don’t expect the resort itself to carry that part of the trip.
Transportation Takes Patience
Disney transportation is one of the biggest reasons people stay on property in the first place. Disney says complimentary resort transportation runs to the parks, water parks, and Disney Springs, and that service generally begins 45 minutes before theme park opening and continues up to an hour after closing. That’s real value. It saves money, saves driving stress, and lets someone else handle the steering while you contemplate why your feet suddenly have opinions.
But Value Resorts can make you work for that perk a little.
Bus stop at All-Star Movies
The All-Stars rely on bus transportation. Pop Century and Art of Animation have the huge advantage of Disney Skyliner access for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, while buses still serve other destinations. That is a massive perk for Pop and Art of Animation, and one reason those two resorts tend to punch above their weight. Still, transportation at the Values can feel crowded because so many people are trying to move at the same time. That’s the real problem. Not that Disney transport exists. Not that it’s bad. Just that everyone else had the same bright idea you did.
Skyliner Station at Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts
Here’s the secret move: stop trying to travel with the herd. Leave earlier than you think you need to in the morning. Avoid the immediate post-fireworks stampede when you can. If you’re at Pop or Art of Animation, lean on the Skyliner hard for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, because it can be a game-changer. Just remember Disney occasionally closes the Skyliner for refurbishment, as shown on the official site, so it’s wise to check before your trip and not build your entire emotional support itinerary around gondolas.
The Extras Are Limited
Amenities are lighter, and that matters more than some people think. This is where the Value category becomes very honest. These resorts do have pools, arcades, recreation, and family-friendly activities. That’s good stuff, especially for families who want some built-in entertainment on non-park evenings.
The Big Blue Pool
But if you’re comparing them to Moderate or Deluxe resorts, the difference shows fast. You’re not booking the Value category for sprawling grounds, signature dining, fitness centers, spas, fancy lounges, or “let’s spend the whole afternoon at the resort and call that a vacation day” energy. And this is where people sometimes get tripped up. They think they are choosing the cheapest version of the same overall resort experience. They’re not. They’re choosing a different kind of trip.
Pixel Play Arcade
At a Value Resort, the room is often the charger, not the phone. You come back, plug in, sleep, shower, maybe inhale a brownie from the food court, and head back out. If that’s how you vacation anyway, fantastic. If your favorite part of a Disney hotel is lingering around the resort, exploring restaurants, lounging in fancy public spaces, or making the hotel feel like half the vacation, you may outgrow the Value category pretty quickly.
Expectations Matter
Honestly, this might be the biggest issue of all.
Disney’s Value Resorts are not trying to be the Grand Floridian. They are not trying to be Coronado Springs. They are not even trying to be “sort of deluxe-adjacent if you squint.” They are built to be bright, energetic, efficient, family-friendly home bases with solid Disney perks and lower upfront costs.
All Star Movies
When people book them expecting a full resort-luxury experience for a bargain, disappointment arrives wearing mouse ears and carrying a pool towel. But when people book them knowing exactly what they are getting, these hotels can be brilliant.
Pop Century is beloved for good reason. Art of Animation is a strong pick for families who want bold theming or need a suite option. Family Suites at Art of Animation and All-Star Music can sleep up to six, which can be a real solution for larger groups that don’t want two separate rooms. The All-Stars can be terrific for travelers who just want to stay in the Disney bubble, keep costs lower, and spend most of their time in the parks.
That’s the key. Book the resort that matches your vacation style, not the one that looks best in a vacuum.
Before You Book
If you do decide a Value Resort is right for you, there are a few sneaky-smart ways to make the experience better.
First, request a room location with intention. Being close to transportation and dining sounds great until you realize half the resort will be walking right past your front door several times a day. Sometimes “not too close, not too far” is the sweet spot.
Second, pack for the room you actually have, not the one you wish you had. Soft-sided luggage, packing cubes, fewer giant “just in case” items, and a white noise app can make a surprisingly big difference.
Third, use Mobile Order whenever possible. Mobile ordering at the food courts, and that can save you from some cafeteria-style chaos.
Mobile Order Pick-up in Everything Pop
Fourth, don’t ignore the recreation board. Movies Under the Stars, pools, arcades, and campfires are easy to overlook when you’re sprinting toward Lightning Lanes and snack quotas, but these are the kinds of low-stress extras that can make a Value stay feel more fun and less like a sleep pod with giant yo-yos outside.
So, Is It Worth It?
The big problem with Disney World’s Value Resorts is not that they exist. It’s not even that they’re limited. It’s that they ask you to be honest about what kind of vacation you’re actually taking.
BEWARE! The line could be LONG!
If you want a clean, cheerful, heavily themed place to crash, shower, refill your mug, and get back to the parks, these resorts can be an absolute win. If you want quiet hallways, roomy accommodations, lots of dining variety, and a hotel experience that feels like part of the destination, the Value category may start to feel like wearing sequins to a kickball game. Technically possible. Spiritually confusing.
So no, the Value Resorts are not perfect. They are crowded, compact, simple, and sometimes a little chaotic. But for the right traveler, they are also practical, playful, and genuinely smart.
Just go in knowing that “value” doesn’t mean “mini Deluxe.” It means you’re paying for the Disney bubble, the perks, the theming, and a place to sleep, not a resort that plans to sweep you off your feet with a lobby chandelier and a spa menu.
And honestly? Sometimes that’s exactly the move. Sometimes the best Disney hotel is the one that leaves enough room in your budget for another park day, an extra snack, and one more round of saying, “We should probably go back to the room,” before doing the exact opposite.
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Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
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Have you ever stayed at one of Disney World’s Value Resorts? Let us know in the comments!
