10 Walt Disney World hotels people really hate

If you’re trying to find the best Walt Disney World hotels you may want to read this first. 

A popular US Disney blog asked it’s followers to name the Walt Disney World hotels they really hate and why.

The fans reacted by dissing popular budget Disney hotels as well as the moderate value and luxury Disney resorts.

But the reasons, make for really interesting reading for anyone planning a Disney holiday.

Dissed Disney World hotels

Fans of the Disney Food blog didn’t hold back. One resort was compared to a “retirement home” and another “like my grandma’s house”. 

But the biggest gripe with several Walt Disney World hotels was the distance to the theme parks and amount of time spent walking from the rooms to the hotel lobby.

Walt Disney World is huge. It’s almost the same size as the city of San Francisco, so easy transport is a massive deal.

We’ve listed each of the hotels on the “most hated” list below along with the reasons why Disney fans didn’t like them.

Caribbean Beach Resort

This Walt Disney World hotel is quite popular with Australians because it’s not the cheapest, but not the most expensive. Disney calls it a “moderate resort”. When you factor in the exchange rate, this hotel is usually one that fits family budgets. 

But Disney fans said the Caribbean Beach resort was “seriously big and very spread out”.

“There are only 1500 rooms but it may take you 20 minutes to walk from your room to the main lobby area,” one fan told Disney food blog.

Disney Caribbean Beach Resort

The Caribbean Beach resort does have a shuttle to get around the resort, but many fans complained that the shuttle takes too long and went all around the resort before it finally dropped them at their room.

The last thing you want after a big day of walking around Walt Disney World is for it to take ages to get to your bed.

Another gripe was that this Disney World hotel does not have elevators. That means you are going to have to drag your luggage up the stairs if you are not on the ground floor.

The good news is the Disney Skyliner has improved access to the theme parks, with Hollywood Studios now five minutes away.

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The All Star Resorts

Disney’s All-Star Resorts are a trio of budget hotels that are meant to make Disney affordable for everyone. They include All-Star Sports, All-Star Music and All-Star Movies. 

The All-Star resorts have smaller rooms and rates start from $US100 a night.

These budget Disney hotels also have over the top Disney theming with enormous statues of footballs and Disney characters.

Disney All-Star Sports hotel

Many Disney fans who had stayed here complained that the hotels had a “lame theme” and “felt outdated”.

But the biggest complaint was the distance of the Disney All-star hotels from the theme parks.

The hotels are close to Animal Kingdom, which means they are a long way from Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot. The only way to get to the parks is on the bus.

Disney All-star Music

“These resorts are big, between the three of them there are over 5000 rooms,” one Disney fan said.

“All of those people are going to be waiting for the bus which is the only transportation to the parks.”

Disney All-Star Movies

Disney’s All-Star resorts are popular with groups, particularly sports groups who come to Disney World on school trips. Many people complained that those groups tend to be loud.

So if you do plan on staying here, check the dates of any competitions that may be on.

Saratoga Springs Resort

This is one of Disney World’s deluxe resorts, so it is a shock to see on the list. 

Saratoga Springs is themed after upstate New York early 20th Century wellness resorts.

It’s close to Disney Springs, but a long way from all the theme parks. And that is the fan’s biggest gripe.

Saratoga Springs Disney World

The only way to get to Walt Disney World’s theme parks is to catch the bus and that takes too long.

“Takes so long to get anywhere and I get lost every time I go,” one Disney fan wrote. 

Coronado Springs Resort

This moderate value Disney hotel is so big that walking from your room to the lobby could take 20-25 minutes.

 “Everything about it felt inconvenient,” one Disney fan said.

Said another: “Too much walking, even with a preferred room.”

Disney’s preferred room bookings allow you to book rooms that are closer to amenities such as the lobby, restaurants or pool.

Disney Coronado Springs Resort

Like several other Walt Disney World hotels on this list, many Disney fans complained that it was too far from the theme parks. The only way to get there was on the bus.

“Coronado Springs is more expensive than Caribbean beach and always more expensive than Pop Century which both have access to the Disney Skyline for quick access to the parks.”

A further gripe about the Coronado Springs hotel was that it wasn’t “Disney enough”. Coronado Springs theme is inspired by Mexico and the American South West. The design elements are subtle and many felt they needed more impact.

Coronado Springs. Credit: Oyster

Others complained that the hotel had expanded their conference facilities which meant fewer families and more corporate retreats.

While that changed the atmosphere and feel of the hotel, it does mean that it has more lounges, coffee outlets and bars than other hotels in the same price range – so it’s a trade-off.

Pop Century

Pop Century has easy access to Hollywood Studios on the Skyliner but the convenient transportation hasn’t helped this Disney Resort to avoid the most-hated list. 

Disney fans said Pop Century’s theme was “boring” and they were “not a fan of the aesthetic”.

Each of Pop Century’s buildings represents a different decade from the 1950s to the 1990s. (Yep, not a whole century.)

Pop Century at Walt Disney World.

The rooms are fairly subdued compared to the rest of the resort.

“If I’m honest there’s not a lot that separates Pop Century from the cheaper All-Star resorts apart from Skyliner access,” one Disney fan said.

Grand Floridian

The Grand Floridian is Walt Disney World’s flagship Orlando hotel. Its inclusion on the list of the most-hated Disney hotels will shock some big fans. 

Disney’s Grand Floridian is home to Disney’s Wedding Pavillion, an incredible AA five-diamond restaurant and it has views of Cinderella’s castle. It’s also super close to Magic Kingdom – just a five-minute walk.

Prices start from $US700 a night and many Disney fans said it was “too pretentious” and “too expensive for what you get”.

The Grand Floridian Walt Disney World

Even worse: “The rooms are like my grandma’s house”.

And: “It looks like the haunted mansion before it became haunted”.

Ouch.

The Grand Floridian Walt Disney World

If you are visiting Walt Disney World with kids the Grand Floridian may be too fancy for you to feel comfortable.

Old Key West

This Orlando hotel was Disney’s first Vacation Club. The rooms are larger, but many Disney fans said it was “too old”. 

One of the harshest comments was that it had “strong old folks retirement vibes”.

Old Key West is quite spread out and once again that means a lot of walking.

Old Key West

The Contemporary Resort

This Walt Disney World hotel opened in 1971 and many Disney fans complained that it “hadn’t done much since”. The Contemporary has a great location, just five minute’s walk to Magic Kingdom, but the decor isn’t quite as magical. 

Disney food blog fans compared the Contemporary to “an office” and “an airport”.

Let’s face it, it does actually look like it is the monorail station, rather than a hotel.

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