The one great thing about planning a trip to Disney World is that you have a lot of options for where to stay on property, including hotels for lower budgets.
We’ve all saved some $$$ by staying at the value resorts, Disney World’s cheapest category of hotels. After all, staying there frees up money to spend on more important things…like FOOD. Whether it’s the All-Star Resorts, or the Pop Century or Art of Animation Resorts, if you just need a hotel room good for resting at night between park visits, Disney’s got you covered. But we’re worried about these hotels, and we’ll tell you why.
No new value resort since 2012
Disney has not built a new value resort in over a decade. The last was Art of Animation, which opened in 2012. The most RECENT hotel built in Disney World would be a deluxe resort, the Riviera, which was opened in 2019. Here’s the thing: A LOT of families depend on the value resorts because they’re trying to save money, but are there enough budget rooms to accommodate everyone?
We think not. We also think Disney would get MORE people to Disney World if it had more value resort options. Considering Disney’s current focus seems to be on creating more Disney Vacation Club properties (which are pricey), it seems the company has forgotten the value hotel guests. We think Disney needs more value hotels!
My UNPOPULAR OPINION On The BEST Disney World Hotel Value of Them All. Don’t Knock It Til You Try It.
Rooms are all the same
One thing that Disney World has done in recent years is give the value resort rooms a refresh. Now, those rooms used to have themes that were in line with that hotel’s theme, but now, many of the standard rooms at the value resorts look EXACTLY the same. It’s like Disney completely gave up on theming those rooms to give them more personality.
Were the room upgrades needed, yes? But did Disney have to decide to be so uncreative with the result? No. So now, you only get great theming at the value resorts OUTSIDE your room. We’re guessing those room updates could eventually spoil the fun themed rooms at Art of Animation, too (but we hope not!).
PHOTOS: Disney’s Pop Century Resort Standard Room Tour
Food courts are all the same
One thing that has irked us the most about the value resorts is that ALL the food courts pretty much have the same menus now. We remember when Landscapes of Flavor at Art of Animation was different and offered options not found anywhere else. Even Pop Century had a menu that wasn’t the same as the All-Star Resorts.
Now, those menus are identical, showing how Disney has decided to pull even MORE character personality away from those hotels. We get it — it’s easier this way, but it shows that Disney doesn’t want to focus a lot of time and attention on value resorts, even with the food.
The Deterioration of Landscape of Flavors Food Court From Awesome To Awful
As we mentioned, Disney’s deluxe hotels have been getting room upgrades, refreshed lobbies, and even new restaurants. In the meantime, we’re wondering if we’ll ever see a new value resort being built again, and we hope the existing value resorts aren’t neglected!
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
The PROS And CONS Of Staying At Disney World’s Value Resorts
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What do you think? Do you think Disney should put more focus on value resorts in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
The post We’re Seriously Worried about Disney World’s Cheapest Hotels first appeared on the disney food blog.