The Two LEAST POPULAR Disney World Hotels, According to the Experts

Not all Disney World hotels are created equal, and our experts are ready to tell you all about two that we’ve deemed the least popular in our ranking.

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Disney has hit us with major hotel news over the last few weeks with changes in choosing your resort category and new permits filed inching us closer to learning more about a few new changes at resorts. So with so much up in the air, we figured it was time to tell you a bit about which resorts we’re considering the least popular options to choose for your next Disney vacation.

Disney World is home to literally dozens of hotels on its massive property and sometimes that can lead to a dilemma in choosing which hotel is right for you. We recently asked our team which of these hotels ranked the lowest on their popularity score and the answer was resounding and simple.

The two we kept hearing over and over were the All-Star Resorts, more specifically the All-Star Sports…

All-Star Sports

…and All-Star Music Resorts.

All-Star Music

In full transparency, these resorts are listed as value resorts by Disney’s own classification. This means they’re entry-level, on-property hotels with direct benefits like early park admission, charging privileges through Magicbands, and eventually, Disney Dining Plans when they re-start in January 2024.

All-Star Music

 Limited Amenities

The reasons that make these hotels a “value” are the same reasons that are their undoing in popularity, unfortunately. Being “value” most often times means there are limited amenities available on-site at the hotel. These particular resorts are sister resorts, meaning their layout and amenities are the same — with slightly different theming to fit each overarching narrative. At these hotels, you’ll typically find one main feature pool, a smaller pool toward the furthest side of the resort from the main check-in building, communal laundry areas, and a food court instead of a designated sit-down restaurant option to accompany a quick service.

Intermission Food Court

If you take into consideration the limited amenities for downtime at the resorts or an “off-day” from the parks, you might find yourself searching for other places to explore like Disney Springs or another nearby resort with things like fishing, carriage rides, and table service restaurants.

Transportation Could Be Confusing

These hotels are super close to each other and just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Disney’s Animal Kingdom but they’re a bit further out from the other Disney parks. If you’re making plans to stay here, this is definitely something you’ll want to take into consideration because this will mean more time waiting for the buses to get you to and from the parks and your hotel. This was a major factor for us when we were listing reasons why this one ranked so low on our list.

Bus stop

Even getting from hotel to hotel could cause real confusion. This could get tricky because these hotels also only have one transportation option for you — by Disney hotel bus if you’re looking to get around without your own vehicle. This means that you’ll need to take the bus from the hotel to the nearest Disney park, deboard the bus, and then hop in line for the bus to the resort you intend to visit. This could become troublesome for folks that aren’t prepared for a few extra steps and haven’t built extra commute time into their plans.

Affordable Options For Large Groups

With going back to value being the hotel’s blessing and curse their affordability factor make them a super popular option with big groups like youth sports teams, bands and orchestras, dance and cheer competition teams, and other groups that come to play or perform at Disney.

All Star Sports

This tends to give these hotels a reputation for being loud, having crowded pools, people walking down the halls and floors to visit each other as they’re getting ready in the morning or settled for the evening, and feeling a bit cramped if you’re walking through crowds of people to walk to the transportation stop and food courts.

Updates

Another complaint that came up time and time again was the actual composite of the buildings itself. The walls to the rooms seem thinner between each one and it wouldn’t surprise us a bit if you come back complaining of being able to hear conversations in the hallway, walking or running footsteps outside in the morning or at night from inside your room, louder conversations or kids from the room next door, and even the occasional toilet flushing.

Surf’s Up!

All of these things could be bothersome if you have small children or would like to get a good night’s rest while you’re on vacation…you know, when you’re not planning on rope-dropping the parks.

It’s Not All Bad Though

Don’t get us wrong here. While they’re not super popular among our Disney experts they are GREAT hotel options for lots of folks and really ARE more affordable. If you’re someone who plans on spending all your time in the parks, they can be your best bet. There are usually discounts out there that make the room rates comparable to those you would find off-property, and you have the benefits of proximity and the Disney transportation system.

Inside a room

We also want to make mention that there are family suite options at All Star Movies that could be a wonderful value to larger or multi-generational families that don’t mind sharing a room to stretch the budget.

So fluffy!

Disney has also taken great steps to turn around the interior room theming from something straight out of a 1990s home furnishing catalog and fill them with more modern touches — no more themed border wallpaper and coat racks. Nowadays, you’ll likely find updated flooring, updated bathroom fixtures, decorative touches, and white bed sheets instead of loud patterned comforter sets.

So there you have it, that’s our experts’ opinion on the two least popular options for a Disney World hotel and the reasons why they rank so low on our list, but tell us do you agree? Would you have listed another hotel in their place? For the latest in Disney hotel news, stay tuned with us at DFB!

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Did your pick for least popular make this list? Tell us your least favorite Disney World hotel in the comments and why it ranks that way to you!

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