Great Disney Vacations

Archive for August, 2008

What are the various Walt Disney World resorts in Orlando?  How many of them are there?  What kinds of rates do they offer?  Where are they on the Disney World property?

Lots of questions there; let’s see if I can help answer them.  First I’ll cover costs, then where they are located.  By the time I’m done, you’ll see how many there are!

Walt Disney Resort Pricing

There are four main categories of Walt Disney World resorts in Orlando.  They are:

• Value:  Least expensive, can be under $100/night.
• Moderate:  A little more money, generally between $130-$200/night.
• Deluxe:  Luxury surroundings and prices, generally $250 and up a night.
• Vacation Club:  Priced in the Deluxe category, these are timeshares with sizes from studio to three bedroom villas.

So those are the pricing categories; now let’s see where they are located around Disney World!

Animal Kingdom:

These are the resorts located in the Animal Kingdom area, and their pricing category:

• All-Star Movies (Value)
• All-Star Music (Value)
• All-Star Sports (Value)
• Animal Kingdom Lodge (Deluxe)
• Coronado Springs (Moderate)
• Pop Century (Value)

Downtown Disney

These are the Walt Disney World resorts in Orlando that are near to Downtown Disney

• Old Key West (Vacation Club)
• Port Orleans, French Quarter (Moderate)
• Port Orleans, Riverside (Moderate)
• Saratoga Springs (Vacation Club)

EPCOT

Here are the EPCOT-area resorts; some are so close you can actually walk to EPCOT!

• Beach Club (Vacation Club)
• Boardwalk Inn (Vacation Club)
• Caribbean Beach (Moderate)
• Yacht Club (Deluxe)

Hollywood Studios

Alas, there aren’t really any resorts close to Hollywood Studios.

Magic Kingdom

Lots of resorts in this area!  They are both some of the oldest and the newest, and they are:

• Cabins at Fort Wilderness (Moderate)
• Contemporary (Deluxe)
• Grand Floridian (Deluxe)
• Polynesian (Deluxe)
• Wilderness Lodge (Deluxe)
• Wilderness Lodge Villas (Vacation Club)

One neat thing is that the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are right on the monorail loop to the Magic Kingdom and with a transfer, to EPCOT.  Can you say “convenient”

And Finally…

…there are three other resorts that are not traditional or in two cases, even Disney!

• Fort Wilderness Resort Campground (Magic Kingdom area, Value and below)
• The Swan (EPCOT area, roughly Moderate)
• The Dolphin (EPCOT area, roughly Moderate)

These final two, the Swan and Dolphin, are not actually owned by Disney World, although they are on Disney property.  But they do have the same resort benefits as do the “real” Disney resorts.

So there they are:  all the Walt Disney World resorts in Orlando!  To get more details on any or all of these resorts, check out the Walt DIsney World resort hotels page.

It’s tough to choose just one of these wonderful resorts for your Disney vacation.  Which one will you pick?

The Disney Fort Wilderness resort is a wonderful place to camp, yet still be close to all that Walt Disney World has to offer.  From the immpeccable Disney service, to a well-laid out campground, to being close to the attractions — what could be more fun?

About Fort Wilderness

Fort Wilderness is the official Disney World campground.  Located on Disney property in the Magic Kingdom area, it has space for both RV and tent camping.  While the lots are a little close by, Disney has done a great job to make the sites feel secluded.  Not to mention shaded!

Fort Wilderness has been around for quite awhile.  I remember my grade-school class taking a weekend camping trip there….hmm, I’m showing my age, but that had to be in the early 70′s.  But even then, it was a magical place.

Booking at the Disney Fort Wilderness Resort Campground

Your best bet it to book directly with Disney World.  Check out the Fort Wilderness page at the Disney World website to check dates and prices.

Keep in mind that especially in the summer season, the campground can pretty much be booked up.  You’ll have better luck in the cooler months (which are really best for Florida camping anyway).

What’s Special Here?

There’s a show that people travel from all around the Disney property to see — the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.  And with good reason — it’s a blast!

 Not only a vaudeville-style show, but the dinner is all you can eat, so you won’t go away hungry.  Think fried chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, biscuits…oh-oh, I’m getting hungry just talking about it!

At any rate, this is a very popular show, so book well ahead of time.

There’s also character dining, found at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ.  It’s a buffet-style dinner hosted by the Disney characters you know and love.   I never could figure out why people liked the character dining until I tried it myself — now I don’t visit Disney without one, they’re so much fun!

There is a campfire sing-a-long with Chip ‘N Dale, horseback trail rides, bike rentals and more at the Disney Fort Wilderness resort campground!

Getting Around From the Disney World Campground

Naturally, you can take the complimentary Walt Disney World transportation system to get around the Disney property.  Travel is by bus to most locations, but you can get to the Magic Kingdom by ferry.

If you enjoy camping, why not stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness?  You’ll get the fun of camping, plus the convenience of staying next to the theme parks.  Not to mention that special Disney magic!