Choosing A Walt Disney World Resort

Whether you have stayed at a Walt Disney World Resort before or not, selecting a resort from the twenty two uniquely and wonderfully themed resorts can be a difficult choice.


I heard the parking lots are as big as Vermont
Walt Disney World is 47 square miles, which makes it larger than many of our nations biggest cities. It totals an area twice the size of Manhattan Island. Within its boundaries guests will find four major theme parks, three minor theme parks, 22 hotels, a sports complex, six golf courses, a campground, several convention centers, over 200 restaurants, a shopping complex, two nighttime entertainment districts and a natural preserve.

It has its own transportation system that encompasses buses, monorails and boats all transporting hundreds of thousands of guest daily over four interconnected lakes and canals and on a system of roads that include six lane highways.

So, How do you choose?
It is important to understand that this early decision of choosing which resort to stay at and where it is located within this vast entertainment complex will play a large part in dictating the pace and even the style of your vacation.

In a series of articles we will begin to explore the Walt Disney World Resorts outlining everything from theming and dining to recreation and transportation, because remember the more you know the more you will able to see and enjoy.

While it is hard to quantify the special magical feeling that comes with staying at any of the Walt Disney World resorts the added convenience of staying “in the middle of the magic” is unmistakable and practical.

Not to ignore the dollars and sense that going into selecting a resort we have opted to categorize the 22 Walt Disney World Resorts by location. That is to say where within the 47 square miles of the Walt Disney World property is a given resort located and how might that influence your vacation. What advantages if any are there in staying near the Magic Kingdom  as opposed to staying near Epcot.

In a series of three articles we are going to explore the Magic Kingdom Resorts, the Epcot Resorts and the Animal Kingdom Resorts. Now some of you, but not very many I suspect, may be asking what about the Downtown Disney Resorts. These often driven by but never visited stepchildren of the Walt Disney World family of resorts may be explored in a later edition, and then again maybe not.

What's next
In our July newsletter we will take a look at the Magic Kingdom resorts. With a monorail as part of its transportation system and the Magic Kingdom as a backdrop, the allure of these resorts is obvious. Yeah, but who can afford to stay in such a high rent district? Surprisingly just about everyone. So, join us next month as we take a look around the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake for an inside look at the Magic Kingdom resorts.