We like saving money.  You like saving money.  We like Walt Disney World.  You like Walt Disney World (why would you be reading this otherwise…?).  Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you’ve got all the reasons you need to click that play button at the top of this post, and learn all about Walt Disney World‘s value resorts.  How much value did they lose when Disney started letting non-Disney-resorts in Lake Buena Vista get extra magic hours?  We discuss this, and much more, in 31 riveting minutes of Disney podcast fun.  Use the timeline below to skip to your favorite parts, or just listen in entirety, which makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Disney Podcast Timeline

0:22 This podcast is dedicated to take-out food.  Why?  Your guess is as good as ours, but if you listen by clicking the play button at the top of this post, you’ll find out.

1:07 We’re focusing on Value Resorts at Walt Disney World in this podcast

2:40 There’s a magical dollar amount where you go from Value Resorts at Disney World to Moderate Resorts.  This helps you budget, and when you budget properly, you save money!  If you don’t want to save money, then don’t tune in here, and just book a Deluxe Resort over at Animal Kingdom Lodge.  We’re both Disney Vacation Club owners there and can give you all the details if you send us a tweet (twitter link at the bottom of this post).

3:36 When deciding how nice of a resort you’d like to stay at, it’s important to think about how many full days in the theme park you plan to spend, compared to how many nights you’ll be in your hotel.  Kevin has a great explanation of why this is so important for your Disney theme park visits, and how it can save you some hard earned cash.

5:39 Our listeners gave us some great feedback on what value resorts they’ve stayed at, including an endorsement of the family suites at one of the resorts.  Does Disney do a great job with handling food allergies, even at their value resorts?  You’ll also hear some personal stories about listeners food court experiences.

7:07  What the heck is a murphy bed, and why is Disney installing them in seemingly every refurbished standard room at their value resort hotels?

9:46 Why stay at a value resort at all, when compared to staying off-property in nearby Orlando, Florida?

Disney Value Resort Perks

10:39 Kevin breaks down the perks that you get for staying at a Walt Disney World resort, including extra magic hours, fastpass plus, and early dining reservations.

13:28 One of the biggest time savers, which leads to more time in the theme park, is revealed here.  You might not realize just how important this is.  Click the play button at the top of the post!

15:46 Free MagicBands for staying at a Disney Resort!  Vader and Mufasa argue over how much they cost.  Turns out at the 16:19 mark of the podcast, that John’s guess is only off by 4 cents.  Suck it Kevin.  They’re $12.99 on https://www.shopdisney.com/collections/magicband

18:23 Some of the perks we listed for staying at a Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida, are being offered to non-Disney resorts.  This devalues staying on property to be sure.  We discuss just how much this matters, and why you may consider staying off property at one of the 8 hotels currently being offered these benefits.

Ranking the 5 Disney Value Resorts

21:10 If you’re listening at this point in the podcast, you’ve decided that you want to stay at a value resort.  We break down your options, and which ones we think take the mickey shaped cake.

21:22 Disney’s Pop Century resort has gotten some great reviews from our listeners.  For what you pay, there’s tremendous value at this resort with excellent theming, with buildings focusing on an entire decade, from the 50s to the 90s.  We give way more detail if you tune in to the podcast by clicking the play button.

22:49 Disney’s All Star Movies Resort used movie theming in their design choices.  Specifically, 101 Dalmatians, Toy Story, Fantasia, The Mighty Ducks, and Herbie the Love Bug inspire the landscape.

24:40 Is the Art of Animation Resort reallllllly still a value resort?  It skirts that line by having one room type that does come in under $200 a night, which is the value breakpoint we mentioned earlier in the podcast.  It is definitely worth it, but it’s a little tough to call it a value resort.

 

26:39 Two of the three All-Star resorts, the All Star Sports Resort and All Star Music Resort, seem like fine hotels, but they severely lack in theming and we’d give them a pass unless we really wanted those perks, and there weren’t many options left.

28:02 STUMP THE HOST

with bonus coverage of the Disney World campsites, which classify as value resorts.

 

 

Want another opinion on Disney’s Value Resort offerings?  Check out Tim Jones’ review

 

Who doesn’t want to save money on vacations?!  Check out Rich’s tips on how to do just that!

 

Stay in Touch with Vader & Mufasa

• In addition to playing at Traveling Dad, these podcasts are available at iTunes and Google Play. How magical is that?
• Follow us on Twitter:
  The podcast: @disney_intel
  Kevin: @KevinGillooly
  John: @vtvanda
• Follow our Facebook page and give it a Like
• Click here to see our one upload a month to instagram
• Interested in Pinterest? (Pinterested?).  We’re everywhere!
• Feel free to email the show with any comments and, especially, any Walt Disney World questions you’d like us to answer during future podcasts, our email address is: [email protected]