Planning a Disney trip for a family, while staying on a budget just takes a little bit of extra planning.
Staying at a Disney property is something that I personally recommend. My recommendation to do this really comes from overall convenience.
When you stay at a Disney resort, you’ll be extremely close to the parks. Disney can be tiring, especially with young kids, and staying at a Disney resort makes it easy to go back to the hotel and get out of the hot Florida sun if needed, and then head back out into the park.
All the hotels have some sort of transportation to the park. Some offer the skyliner, which is a really fun way to get to and from the park. There’s also boat rides and monorails accessible from some resorts as well. Certain resorts, like the Grand Floridian for example, have a boat that offers a scenic route to and from the park.
Besides overall convenience, all the hotels have their own Disney touch to them, which can really elevate your vacation.
So, if you’re on a budget, have a family, and still want to stay at a Disney resort, here are some options for you to consider.
1. Disney’s Pop Century Resort
When you’re on the Disney website looking through hotels, you’re mainly going to want to stay in the realm of value hotels and moderate hotels in order to keep lodging prices low.
One value hotel that is a great option is Disney’s Pop Century Resort. This hotel has multiple pools you can head to and take a dip, with Disney-themed rooms perfect for families.
There’s a gift shop on site where you can shop for all your Disney accessories and a spot where you can grab a quick bite to eat, where, or course, Mickey waffles are sold.
There’s also the Petals Pool Bar for parents to go grab a drink located at the Hippy Dippy pool.
The rooms at this hotel have either one king bed, or a queen bed plus a queen-size table bed. For families of four, this room should provide enough space, but keep in mind the rooms are pretty small. So, if you want more room, or have more than four people in your family, you’ll want to book two separate rooms at this hotel.
To get to the parks from Pop Century, you can take the shuttle, or take a ride on the skyliner.
2. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is pretty similar to Disney’s Pop Century Resort. As far as rooms go, you can expect the same style room at both of these hotels. So again, if you have a bigger family, you may want to consider booking two rooms.
This hotel features two pools, the Fantasia Pool, inspired by the classic Disney film and the Duck Pond Pool, which is based on “The Mighty Ducks” films. There’s plenty of activities to engage, like movies and trivia while you hang out by the pool.
Just like the Pop Century Resort, there’s a food court you can grab a bite to eat at and a Silver Screen Spirits Pool Bar to grab a drink while hanging out under the sun.
While you take a stroll around the hotel, you can expect to see lots of classic characters displayed through large decor around the property.
There’s also the Disney’s All-Star Music Resort and Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort that follow a similar format, just with different themes.
3. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Kids will love the rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. There are a few different themed rooms at the resort.
The standard room, which includes either one king bed or two queen beds, is “The Little Mermaid” themed.
Then, there are family suits, which are suitable for families up to six, as they have one queen bed, one double-size sleeper sofa and one double-size table bed.
These rooms come in a couple of different themes. You can book a room themed to the “Cars” movie, “Finding Nemo” or “The Lion King.”
4. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
This is one of the moderately priced hotels on the list, that are ideal if you have a bigger family and need a little bit of extra space during your vacation.
These rooms have room for a fifth sleeper with the child-size pull down bed.
There are several different dining options at this hotel, including the tropical Sebastian’s Bistro, Centertown Market for a quick grab and go meal and Spyglass Grill.
There are five leisure pools at this hotel, plus the Fuentes del Morro Pool, which has two water slides for even more fun.
5. Disney’s Port Orleans Resort-Riverside
Just like the Carribean Beach Resort, there are rooms at this hotel that fit five adults because of the child-size pull down bed.
You’ll have access to so many pools while staying at this resort with five leisure pools and the Ol’ Man Island Pool.
During your stay, you’ll also be able to use the pools at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort-French Quarter.
For transportation, you can hop on the shuttle to get to the Disney parks or use the water taxi to get to Disney Springs.
There’s a dining hall at this hotel as well as multiple bars and a food court to get food during your trip. Of course, since this hotel is inspired by Louisiana, you can expect to find southern-style eats.
6. The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
If you like to camp, that is another option available to you for lodging at Disney.
You can book a campsite and pitch a tent or set up an RV or pop up camper.
If tent camping really isn’t your thing, no problem. You can also book a cabin here.
While here, you can enjoy swimming, wagon rides, kayaking and more.
