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Disney World Deluxe Resorts

Disney World Deluxe Resorts

Want to stay at a Disney World resort with lots of amenities?

Then the Walt Disney World Deluxe resorts will be your best bet.

With gorgeous theming, signature restaurants, and many being close to the parks, these resorts have a lot to offer.

Trying to decide if it’s worth it?

Check out the info below to help.

Disney World resort categories

The Walt Disney World Resort is huge, and outside of its 4 main theme parks, 2 water parks, shopping district, and sports facilities, it is also home to over 2 dozen different resorts with a total of over 30,000 rooms.

All of those resorts and rooms means you have a ton of options to choose from when planning your vacation.

When trying to decide which resort is best for your family, many people start by looking at average prices and resort amenities.

While most hotels and resorts in destinations outside of Disney World are grouped and designated by “stars” (such as 3 star hotels or 4 star hotels), Disney World instead groups their resorts with similar prices and amenities by the following terms:

List of Disney World Deluxe resorts

Disney World has several resorts at the Deluxe level:

Deluxe resort room sizes

The average room size for a standard Deluxe room is approximately 380 square feet.

Want to see how that stacks up against other resort categories?

Check out the comparison chart below.

Resort Room Size Comparison Chart

As you can see, the Deluxe resorts offer a lot more room than other categories.

All rooms are accessible via interior hallways

Unlike the Value and Moderate resorts (which mostly have exterior hallways), the Deluxe resorts are like hotels with interior hallways.

Deluxe resort prices

Disney World Deluxe resorts are, as expected, at the top of the price range for Disney World resorts.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is at the lower end of prices in the Deluxe category, while The Grand Floridian is the most expensive.

Discounts at Disney World Deluxe resorts

Most Deluxe resort rooms are eligible for discounts, though availability may be very limited, particularly during Free Dining.

Most people don’t realize that just because a discount is out and the resort you plan on staying at is eligible to have that discount does not mean you will automatically get the discounted price.

Discounts have to be applied (either by initially booking under the discount or modifying an existing reservation to include it), but once the number of rooms that Disney has made available to be booked under a discount have been secured, that’s it.

More availability for rooms at a discount won’t open up unless somebody cancels or Disney decides to release more rooms.

Deluxe resort theming

The theming at Deluxe resorts is gorgeous and the most elaborate of all Disney World resorts.

Swimming pools at Deluxe resorts

Unlike the Value resorts, the nicely-themed pools at the Deluxe resorts have slides.

Deluxe resorts also have quiet pools available.

The best swimming pool at a Deluxe resort is definitely Stormalong Bay, which is shared by the Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts.

Stormalong bay

Dining options at Deluxe resorts

Each Deluxe resort offers a food court, Table Service restaurants (including a Signature Restaurant at most), a lounge bar, and a pool bar.

Transportation at Deluxe resorts

If you want to leave the navigating to Disney, you’ll have a few different options from the Deluxe resorts.

Walking

Some resorts allow you to walk to a theme park.

For example, you can walk to Magic Kingdom from The Contemporary Resort.

Want to walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios? You can do that from The Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk Inn.

Monorail

The resorts on the monorail will allow you to take a monorail to Magic Kingdom.

Those resorts are The Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Resort, and The Grand Floridian.

There’s also a monorail to Epcot that you can catch from the Magic Kingdom monorail.

However, that process often takes a long time.

You’re better off using another route to get to Epcot.

Boats

The Magic Kingdom-area resorts and Epcot-area resorts also have boats available.

Though not usually the quickest transportation method, these boats give you another option to get to nearby resorts and park(s).

Buses

All Deluxe resorts have buses available, but you may be surprised to learn that most of them share buses with other Deluxe resorts.

That means that once you get on, you’ll likely have other stops as you come and go from places at Disney World.

Parking

Although parking at Disney World resort hotels used to cost a nightly fee for resort guests, Disney has changed their policy so that parking is now free for all on-site resort guests. This change was implemented on January 10, 2023.

Complimentary standard self-parking is also available for non-resort guests exploring dining, shopping, entertainment, and other experiences during the day.

We have a complete Walt Disney World parking guide you can browse.

All star music parking lot

VIDEO: Which Deluxe Resort is the BEST at Walt Disney World?

Favorite Deluxe resorts

With so many Deluxe resorts to choose from, you may wonder which is our favorite.

Here’s a few that top the list and why:

The Contemporary Resort

If all of the Disney World resorts were ranked by transportation and food, The Contemporary would come out on the top of the list.

The ability to walk to Magic Kingdom is a huge perk since that park is the hardest to get to/from, plus there’s the monorail option, and the ability to easily uses buses from both the resort and the nearby Magic Kingdom bus stop.

(Since resorts don’t have buses to other resorts, and the park bus stops don’t always have buses to other parks/Disney Springs, you get the best of both worlds at the Contemporary with nearby buses that can take you anywhere.)

The food is also some of the best at Disney World.

With California Grill serving fine dining with maybe the best view in all of Disney World, The Wave being a super underrated but delicious option, a fantastic Quick Service, and a really fun character meal at Chef Mickey’s, guests at The Contemporary have so many options without ever leaving the hotel.

The rooms are also huge and the view of the monorail running right through the building never gets old.

The Polynesian Resort

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

A gorgeous resort with several good food options, The Polynesian also tops the list of best Deluxe resorts.

From the popular Ohana and Kona Cafe restaurants which please just about anybody, to the delicious Quick Service options (including Dole Whips), and Trader Sam’s bar, you have just about everything you need right at the resort.

Another big perk of The Polynesian is that you not only have the Magic Kingdom monorail right at the resort, but it’s a short walk to get to the Epcot monorail.

That’s especially convenient for those with strollers and/or wheelchairs/scooters since you can just roll off and on, unlike the buses and boats that require a lot more work to board.

The Beach Club

There are lots of reasons to love The Beach Club, but the 5 to 10 minute walk to Epcot definitely tops the list.

In addition to the short commute to Epcot, it’s about a 15 minute walk to Hollywood Studios.

There’s a boat available to take as well.

The rooms are huge, with many having a daybed.

When it comes to dining, it’s hard to beat the convenience of The Beach Club.

Not only do you have great options right at the resort, but you’re within walking distance of a few other resorts, and you’re steps away from the World Showcase which is full of places to eat.

And don’t forget Stormalong Bay is located here as well, which is the best pool in all of Disney World.

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There you go! Hopefully we covered everything you’d want to know about the Disney Deluxe resorts. Did we leave anything out? Let us know in the comments.

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