Disney World offers a plethora of hotels for your vacation, with 3 different tiers and nearly 30 options. Rest assured, you and your party will find a hotel that perfectly suits your needs!
That said, not all hotels are created equal, and depending on your party, certain hotels might not be the right fit. We tend to avoid these three hotels, and here is why.
All Disney World resorts have their benefits and they also have their downsides. While we don’t necessarily stay at these three resorts, they do have their own perks!
Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa and Old Key West Resort
Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, along with Old Key West Resort, are two Disney Vacation Club Resorts that are very near to each other. These resorts are made to feel like your home away from home and offer a variety of amenities, like a kitchen or kitchenette. Some rooms even have a washer and dryer. Depending on your type of room, you might be able to fit the whole family, which is a really great perk to these resorts.
While these resorts do offer watercraft to Disney Springs, transportation is limited. Water levels have been low, and due to this, the boats are not running. We have also seen this happen in past years, so it is never a guarantee that the boats will be operating during your stay. These resorts are very big, which means they are very spread out. Both resorts have multiple bus stops, which means you may be stuck stopping at multiple locations before you take off to your final destination.
This also means that depending on your building, you may be further away from the lobby. Due to this inconvenience, we are staying away from these hotels.
While we love Olivia’s Cafe at Old Key West, dining options at both of these resorts are also limited. If you are looking for a resort with more dining options, we recommend the Grand Floridian or the Rivera Resort, where you will find a variety of dining options!
These hotels can be really great if you decide to bring your own car or rent one! They also qualify for Deluxe hotel perks like Extended Evening Hours. While we don’t stay at these hotels, they might be a good fit for you and your family. If you are planning to rely on bus transportation to take you around the resort, though, you may find yourself getting a little impatient.
Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a moderate resort that shares some of the flaws of the previous resorts we discussed.
Just like Saratoga Springs and Old Key West, Caribbean Beach is spread out. The resort is so big that they were able to tear down hotel sections to build the Rivera Resort. Since it is so big, you might find yourself far away from one of the hotel’s biggest perks, the Skyliner.
Caribbean Beach’s Skyliner station is home to the hub of the Skyliner. This is the midpoint for those needing to transfer to Hollywood Studios or EPCOT or return to Pop Century, Art of Animation, or the Riviera. Lucky for those staying at Caribbean Beach, they can take the Skyliner directly to Hollywood Studios or EPCOT.
The problem is that Caribbean Beach is so spread out that you might find yourself having to take a trek to the Skyliner station. While this can be a great way to get your extra steps in, we don’t like having to wake up even earlier to make it to the Skyliner station, and when we are tired after a long day in the park, we don’t want to have to do an additional walk to our room.
If you do want to stay at Caribbean Beach, we recommend booking a room in the Jamaica or Aruba Villages as they are the closest to the Skyliner station.
This resort does have one of our favorite table-service restaurants, Sebastian’s Bistro, but dining options here are also very limited. Since you are so close and connected via the Skyliner, you could always try the options located at the Rivera Resort.
This resort is beautiful, and if you do not mind the extra walk to the Skyliner or lobby, it is perfect for those who want a tropical island feel while they are at Disney World.
All three of these hotels have their perks, and depending on your party’s needs, they may be perfect for you! As for us, these are a few of the reasons why we try to stay elsewhere.
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What hotels do you avoid when booking a trip to Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
The post Disney Experts Share the Hotels They Literally Never Stay At (And Neither Should You) first appeared on the disney food blog.