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In fact, because the on-site hotels are all so different from each other, it’s fun to visit other hotels. Many families surveyed told us they enjoyed eating dinner at a different resort from their own.

Location, Location, Location

It doesn’t take a Baby Einstein to figure out that the Disney hotels are located closer to the theme parks than off-site hotels. Proximity makes it easier to return to your room after lunch for a nap, dip in the pool, change of clothes, etc.

Rating the On-Site Disney Hotels

The Orlando area has more than 140,000 hotel rooms and a fair percentage of these are Disney owned. In other words, a family that has decided to stay on-site faces a bewildering number of choices. Does the convenience of being on the monorail line justify the increase in price? Do you want to stay amid Victorian splendor, or is a fort more your style? At which park do you plan to spend most of your time? As with all of WDW, making the best choice hinges on your awareness of what your family really needs.

On-Site Luxury Hotels

Luxury hotels are full-scale resorts with fine dining, health clubs and spas, valet parking, on-site child-care facilities, full room service, and lots of sporting options. There’s a price attached—the Disney luxury hotels cost, on average, twice as much a night as the mid-price hotels. Luxury hotels include the BoardWalk, Yacht & Beach Clubs, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Swan, Dolphin, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. (Note: The Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are at the lowest price point in the luxury category.)

On-Site Mid-Price Hotels

“Mid-price” is something of a misnomer because both the price and the quality are higher than what you’d find in an off-site chain hotel in Orlando. You may pay a little more but the hotels are beautifully maintained and landscaped, with their themes carried out to the nth degree. Resorts that fall into this category include the Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, and Coronado Springs.

Helpful Hint

Disneyworld.com is a great planning tool, allowing you to compare the prices of different on-site hotels during the week you’ll be visiting. You can comparison shop at leisure without a travel agent or phone reservation agent nudging you into a quick decision.

On-Site Value Hotels

The on-site value hotels include the All-Star Resorts, the Pop Century Resort, and the Art of Animation Resort.

Again, the resorts are well maintained and have eye-popping catchy graphics that dazzle the kids. You can find a food court but no sit-down dining; a swimming pool but no other sporting options; a lengthier check-in line and smaller staff but rates that more than compensate for the minor inconveniences. The most important on-site benefits—transportation to the parks, help with tickets and priority-seating reservations, Extra Magic Hours, and charging privileges—are just as available to those paying $82 a night at All-Star Sports as to those paying $335 a night at the BoardWalk. And, hey, the housekeepers still leave your kids’ stuffed animals in the window to greet them in the evening, so who can complain?

Villa-Style Accommodations

Larger families or those who like to prepare their own meals may want to rent a villa. Resorts included in this category are the Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary Resort, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Saratoga Springs Resort, BoardWalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, and Old Key West Resort. Although these properties are part of the Disney Vacation Club, they can be rented by any family seeking villa-style accommodations. The Art of Animation resort adds 1,120 value-priced family suites to the mix.

On-Site Camping

The Fort Wilderness Campground is a great choice for families who love to camp and is by far the cheapest way to stay on-site and get on-site privileges.

List of Quick-Guide Tables | View a Larger Image

Definition of Star Ratings for Hotels