Walt Disney World Resorts - Military Disney Tips

1 October 2024 by Steve Bell 2 Comments

Table of Contents

Walt Disney World’s Resorts are eligible for discounts via the Disney Armed Forces Salute Room Discount.

All-Star Music Resort

Staying On Walt Disney World Property

There are numerous Disney-owned resorts in several different price/amenity categories. Staying at a Disney-owned resort comes with many benefits, the most intangible of which is that you will feel like you are at Disney during your entire trip, not just while at the parks. Staying at a Disney-owned resort is an immersive experience and so much more convenient.

Check out this list of amenities that you’ll receive when you stay in a Disney Resort:

Free transportation from your resort to all WDW destinations via Disney’s fleet of buses, boats, monorails, and gondolas.
Free Parking at your Resort
Free theme park parking, should you decide to drive your car.
Participation in Early Entry and Extended Park Hours – early entry and late stays at designated parks on designated days. The general public is not allowed in during Early Entry and Extended Park Hours. See my info to for Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours
Property-wide charging of your Disney purchases (Merchandise, Dining, etc.) to your room.
Guaranteed theme park entry on high-attendance days when the parks close due to nearing capacity (Not currently available due to reduced theme park capacities and Theme Park Reservations being required)
The ability to add the various Disney Dining Plans to your vacation
The ability to book Advance Dining Reservations for your entire trip (up to 10 days) at the 60-day mark.

Please note that while located on Walt Disney World property, Shades of Green is not a Disney Owned Resort!

Beach Club Resort

Resort Categories

Walt Disney World breaks its resorts down into several categories. From cheapest to most expensive these are:

Value Resorts

There are five different Value Resorts on Walt Disney World Property. These are the lowest priced of Disney’s resorts and understandably have the lowest level of amenities.

The Value Resorts are each decorated in a big way based on the theme they represent, with large exterior icons decorating the buildings, themed pools, and bright color schemes throughout.

The Value rooms offer 2 double beds, which sleep four. A crib may be requested for children under 3 years old. All the All-Stars have now completed a multi-year remodel, which had its good and bad points. A small number of single King rooms are also available.

Family Suites are available at the All-Star Music and Art of Animation for a higher rate. These suites offer twice the room and sleep six, plus a crib.

Being entry-level resorts, they have entry-level amenities such as Quick Service food courts, limited pizza delivery, an arcade, playground, heated pools, pool bar, scheduled (hourly) luggage service, in-room safe, iron and board, and coffee makers. These resorts all have exterior hallway room entry doors.

These resorts are very large, from 1600 to about 3000 rooms each. Due to the lower price younger families, children’s athletic teams participating in competitions at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and South American vacationers, mostly frequent them. They can at times be hectic and noisy in general, especially the food courts in the morning!

Moderate Resorts

There are five different Moderate Resorts on Walt Disney World Property. These resorts come in at a price point between the Values and the Deluxes.

The Moderate Resorts are each decorated in various facets of an overall resort theme. For example, the Port Orleans Riverside Resort has two different sections, Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou. Each is themed differently, both inside and out. Magnolia Bend has large three-story buildings, which look like New Orleans-style mansions with elegant interiors, while Alligator Bayou has a more rustic feel with smaller tin-roofed, wood-sided, two-story buildings with simulated roughhewn interiors.

The Moderates fill the needed middle of the road in both price and amenities between the Value and Deluxe resorts. Standard-size rooms (Except Pirate Rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort) offer two queen beds that sleep four (a crib may be requested for children under three). Some rooms in Port Orleans Riverside and the Caribbean Beach sleep five with a fold-down single Murphy bed. The Moderates all have exterior room entry doors. The Wilderness Cabins sleep six with one double, one bunk, and one double Murphy bed.

The Pirate Rooms at the Caribbean Beach Resort have double (full) sized beds.

Disney Moderate rooms are somewhat larger than the Value rooms (on average 315 square feet compared to 260). They offer a small table and two chairs, a dresser, a TV, and a small fridge. The bathroom proper is separated from the double sink vanity area, while the vanity area can be separated from the room with a curtain or door. Even with your suitcases out, you’ll still have room to move around.

These are mid-level resorts and as you expect have mid-level amenities such as Table Service dining (except French Quarter), Quick Service food court, pizza delivery, room service at Coronado, an arcade, a playground, heated pools, a hot tub, a gym at Coronado, Indoor and pool bars, luggage service, in-room safe, iron and board, and coffee makers.

These resorts, except for French Quarter, are very large and spread out, they have from 1000 to over 2100 rooms each. The Moderates all have a lake or river where you can rent various watercraft and even fish. The food courts, which are the primary breakfast dining locations, can be hectic in the morning!

All the Moderates except French Quarter have numerous Disney Transportation bus stops located throughout the resort so you won’t have to walk too far. French Quarter, which is the smallest moderate, has one bus stop near the lobby.

Deluxe Resorts

There are eight different Deluxe Resorts on Walt Disney World Property.

The Deluxe Resorts are the premier hotels of Walt Disney World. They are decorated exquisitely based on their overall resort theme.

The Best Disney Resorts for Magic Kingdom Fans

Best Disney World Resorts for EPCOT Fans

Best Disney World Resorts for Hollywood Studios Fans

These hotels are for those who really want to splurge on their accommodations. They are high in both prices and in services.

Standard-size rooms offer 2 queen beds and, in some, a sofa bed, which will sleep four to five (a crib may be requested for children under 3). The Deluxe Resorts all have room entry doors from an interior hallway.

Disney Deluxe rooms are larger than the Moderate rooms and fall into 3 size groupings: 400 square feet plus (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian), 370-380 square feet (BoardWalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club), and 344 square feet (Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodges). Prices in this category fall in a larger range than in the others due to the different room sizes and special amenities offered.

The Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodges are sometimes referred to as Moderate Plus or Deluxe Minus due to their room size and price.

Deluxe Resorts offer a table and two chairs or a desk and chair, dresser, TV, small fridge, coffee maker, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, and small safe. The bathroom proper is separated from the double-sink vanity area.

These resorts are at the top of the Disney World lineup! You’ll find all the amenities that you would expect at a first-class resort, such as Fine Dining, Table Service dining, Quick Service food court, room service, an arcade, a playground, the best heated pools with slides, a hot tub, a full-service Spa at most, a gym, indoor and pool bars, luggage service, valet parking, balconies or porches, in-room safe, iron and board, and coffee maker.

The Deluxe Resorts are all near at least one of the theme parks, which gives you easy access to that park.

All the Deluxe Resorts have a single Disney Transportation bus stop located near the lobby.

Walt Disney World Resort Overviews

Disney Vacation Club Resorts

The Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s take on timeshares. Members buy into a property and use points for stays at DVC properties worldwide.

DVC resorts offer Deluxe accommodations in studio, one, two, and three-bedroom suites. These suites can also be rented through the regular Walt Disney World reservation process and are eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute 30% off room discount, though the number available is very limited.

DVC Resorts can also be rented at up to 65% off through a rental service that matchs Disney Vacation Club Members who want to rent DVC points with Guests who would like to book accommodations at one of Disney’s 17 exclusive DVC resorts.. Using this totally approved and safe process, you can save up to 65% on Deluxe DVC Resort stays! We recommend the DVC Rental Store, part of The World of DVC. They have the largest selection of DVC Points for rent in the world, giving you more options, better availability, and the best chance to book your dream Disney vacation. You can count on the DVC Rental Store to handle the DVC rental process from start to finish and deliver a customer experience that’s simple, straightforward, and 100% stress-free.

There are currently nine DVC resorts at Walt Disney World that are co-located with a Deluxe Resort and share facilities with that resort.

The Colocated Resorts are:

There are three standalone resorts that are not paired with a Disney World Deluxe Resort.

The Stand-Alone Resorts are:

The Contemporary Resort taken from Bay Lake Tower

See These Related Resort Posts:

Also See:

Let Military Disney Tips’ Recommended Travel Agent assist you with your Disney Resort reservation at no additional cost.

I recommend using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (travel agent)! Doing so can take the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line Vacation, which can be a complicated and overwhelming task.
You have probably seen elsewhere on the site that I recommend The Mouse Experts powered by The Curated Travel Collection as my preferred Authorized Disney Vacation Planners.

The Mouse Experts - Military Disney Tips Recommended Disney Only Travel Agent

See Why I Recommend Using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner

This MDT Post By: Steve Bell

Steve is the Military Disney Tips Founder. He is a retired U.S. Military Member who's been touring the Disney Parks since 1971! He has been writing about Disney for the US Military Community here for 18 years. Steve's mission is to help military families with their Disney vacations in every way possible.
Check out Steve's Bio
Find Steve on Facebook.
Subscribe to Steve's Free Email Newsletter
Buy Steve a Cup of Coffee!

See Steve and His Family's Content
That Disney Family
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok

Planning a Disney Trip? Want to get the best military discounts that are available? Feeling a little confused? See Our Great Disney Discount and Planning Info:

Back to Basics Posts - A great place to start, offering basic topics!
Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide
Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist
Disney Military Tickets – Your Start-to-Finish Guide

Learn about the Disney Armed Forces Salute the best military discount that there is for Disney. See our Topic Overview Pages:

Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
Dining Overview Page
Transportation Overview Page
Technology Overview Page
Shades of Green, WDW’s Military-Only Resort

The Mouse Experts is a travel booking company specializing in Disney vacations. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts!

Send Steve a Tip