Choosing which Disney World hotel to stay at is no easy decision.

There are 3 tiers of hotels to choose from: Value (most affordable), Moderate (in the middle), and Deluxe (the most expensive and therefore the fanciest). All of them have their own unique theming that may be more attractive to you and your family which could help you make your decision. However, even if you’re booking months in advance, here’s why you ALWAYS need a backup plan for your Disney World hotel.

Let’s say you’ve been planning to splurge a stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge with a savanna view for YEARS. It’s a bucket list item, and you’ve finally planned the trip where you’re going to do it, but you go to book the room and there are no more available rooms for your dates.

Or how about this: you’ve been eying a specific discount on the Walt Disney World website for a while and think it’s perfect to help you save some money at that hotel you’ve been eying but has been out of your budget. So you go to book it and OH, just kidding, your hotel isn’t eligible for the deal, or you have to be staying a certain amount of days.

Or what about when you’ve budgeted to stay in a certain room, but when you go to book, prices are ASTRONOMICAL and not at all what you budgeted for?

These are just a few of the most common heartbreaks we see and hear of happening constantly in Disney World. This is a busy vacation spot, and it’s almost impossible to gauge when your preferred rooms will be available or have a discount that can be applied to them. This precisely is why we say to always have a backup plan when it comes to booking the hotel on your Disney World vacation.

While nothing will be exactly like the hotel room you were looking to stay in, you can have two types of rooms in mind when you go to book. For example, if you’re looking to book at the Contemporary Resort, either have two room types in mind you’d like to book or be open to booking a similar hotel, such as the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. While some hotels don’t have an exact match when it comes to theming or vibes, below is a list of alternative hotels we suggest if you aren’t able to book at the one you were originally aiming for.

• Can’t book at All-Star Movies? Try All-Star Sports or All-Star Music instead (or vice versa), OR jump to Art of Animation or Pop Century.
• While Art of Animation and Pop Century have different theming, both are Value resorts with larger-than-life theming, and we do think they’re most alike each other. They are also both located at the same Skyliner station for easy access to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
• Can’t book at Disney’s Polynesian Resort? Check out a cabin at Disney’s Fort Wilderness or a room at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for unique theming that’s geared toward the outdoors.
• Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts are right next to each other and share lots of amenities, so if one is not available, try the other.
• If you’re unable to book at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, the Yacht and Beach Club are resorts we recommend checking out instead. Plus, all three are within walking distance to EPCOT!
• Can’t book at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort? We suggest checking out Disney’s Riviera Resort, Port Orleans Riverside, OR Port Orleans French Quarter (or vice versa!)

Additionally, if you need to stay at a different hotel than originally planned, there’s nothing stopping you from resort-hopping and checking out the other resorts you were planning to book. While you won’t be able to walk into any rooms or swim in the pools, you can still snap photos all around the hotels and take in their beauty!

We always recommend booking your trip as far in advance as possible in an attempt to snag that room you’d like, and if a discount becomes available after you book, you can apply it to your existing reservation! If this all seems a little overwhelming, we totally get it — that’s why we recommend using a travel agent like our friends at Small World Vacations!

We’re always here to bring you the latest Disney World news to help you plan your next trip, so stay tuned to DFB!

Check out our ULTIMATE guide to planning a Disney World trip!